Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall when a group of adventure developers gather together to discuss game design, genre issues, and industry concerns? Or better yet, how about having those same developers share their perspectives on issues that concern you?

Wish no further, for that time has come. Welcome to the first-ever edition of “Ask The Developers.”

What is this all about? The brainchild of Laura MacDonald and Steve Ince, this is an idea born out of spontaneous developer discussion in our ongoing forum Developer Chats. The intent of this round table gathering is to offer a glimpse into the minds of those who shape the genre. It also allows the developers, themselves, an opportunity to meet together to mutually brainstorm, generate insight, and even explore better creative ideas about how to design, develop and sell adventure games.

Every month, one question of key interest will be carefully chosen. Then we will select a special group of guest developers and invite them to a real-time (and completely unrehearsed) chat amongst themselves to offer their expertise, answers and dialogue. The guests will change from month to month depending on the topic, the relevant experience, and interests. After the guests have left, the full discussion will be carefully logged, organized, and culled. The resulting “best of the chat” will be published here at AG.

Now, here’s where you need to sit up and take notice. This is called “Ask The Developers” for good reason. We want you, fellow gamers, to ask them. Anyone who has a burning question should send it in. We will go through the questions submitted, and choose one hot topic each month. This is your chance to have an entire group of the best in the biz at your personal disposal (more or less). To make it easy, we even have a special email listing just for you.

So send your questions on anything adventure gaming to: atd@adventuregamers.com

For our inaugural installment, our co-hosts and guests are:

Laura MacDonald: Hi, I am Laura MacDonald, writer and publisher-developer liaison for Adventure Gamers, and co-host with Steve Ince for this gathering.

Steve Ince: I worked with Revolution for eleven years and am now working as a freelance writer-designer.

Carolyn Goodwin: I'm the VP of Marketing for Her Interactive, publishers of the Nancy Drew series.

Tony Warriner: I'm a founder of Revolution – Broken Sword, Steel Sky, and stuff like that.

Martin Ganteföhr: My name is Martin Ganteföhr, House of Tales Entertainment's co-founder and Creative Director; latest project is The Moment of Silence, a third-person adventure game.

The topic of our first chat centers on U.S. markets. With a few exceptions—notably the Her Interactive Nancy Drew series and Legacy’s Law & Order games—the vast majority of adventure games are designed and developed in Europe. As vast as the gaming market is in the United States, sales for adventure games have been lackluster. In happy contrast, European sales are fairly robust and improving over time. Euro-developers have said that signing with U.S. publishers is chaotic at times, and they feel somewhat disadvantaged in their negotiations and ability to oversee marketing efforts and distribution. Which raises the overall question:

Are U.S. markets for adventure games worth pursuing aggressively, and if so, how can developers make them work?

Tony: The U.S. is a real problem, and there's no getting away from it.

Carolyn: Currently the Nancy Drew games are distributed only in the U.S. and Canada. We're on our 11th game, and are still here—so I would say, there is a strong market in the U.S.

Martin: Why don't they come to Europe, by the way...?

Carolyn: We don't have an overseas distribution partner yet—if anyone here has any ideas, I would be very open.

Martin: DTP is most certainly the company to talk to in Germany.

U.S. adventure gamers seem to have a cultural attraction for certain well known “titles” or brand names. Is this a reliable game basis for developers to consider?

Carolyn: Yes, Nancy Drew is very much a part of the culture, but so are many brands. I think our success has more to do with identifying a target demographic and marketing directly to it.

Tony: Yes—very much harder when dealing with European adventure brands, albeit successful brands

Martin: I've read a lot about Nancy Drew. That's why, given the European market being relatively strong, I was wondering why it hasn't been released in Europe yet.

Carolyn: Rather than starting with the acquisition of a “super-hot” brand, which would then define our demographic target, we chose our demographic first and then picked a brand. Nancy Drew wasn’t the hottest brand going a few years ago, but it is today.

Steve: Doesn't that limit how much originality you can put into your games?

Carolyn: We've run into some of the same resistance abroad that we initially encountered in the U.S.—that girls don't play computer games. If there aren't any for them to play, they certainly won't. Our licensor has learned to trust our respect for the brand, and gives us lots of freedom in where to take the games. We use the books as just a skeleton. It's critical to learn the brand, and to gain the licensor’s confidence. And, of course, to be picky in who you choose to partner with. Simon & Schuster has been great to work with.

Martin: In Germany at least, there are some computer games targeted at girls and they are very successful. Would you say: Nancy is rather a "girl-phenomenon" or an "adventure games phenomenon"?

Carolyn: I think they're a little bit of both. We believe there is a market in the U.S. for branded, quality adventure PC games marketed to specific demographic groups through non-traditional media—i.e., not just through game magazines and game sites. Branded adventure games do well through the mass merchants—they are a good match for the casual gamer who’s browsing the game shelves for an appealing, accessible game. Having a known brand name on the box doesn’t hurt either.

Tony: The trouble is that the market won't move beyond those brands and into the genre as a whole.

Carolyn: The Wal-Mart buyer is very receptive to the adventure category; it has performed well there.